Better Storytelling By Design

The Libris Mechanica Sanctus

Below is an excerpt from the Libris Mechanica Sanctus, the holy scripture of the Church of the Radiant Polyhedron. The excerpt concerns the Church’s creation myth and the divine connection to humanity. There of course may be errors in the translation, so the excerpt is open to interpretation and revision. Look for more excerpts as the revelation is revealed to me!

Universal Origins

In the beginning, there was the bleak, dark void amidst an infinite sea of churning Chaos. From this ocean of primordial sludge, there emerged a radiant entity wrought of perfect geometric form. This entity baptised the void with its shining radiance and resolved to create life and willed two polyhedral servants into existence. The Universe was then conceived in an explosion of matter as the radiant entity’s servants, the celestial trapezohedra, collided within the void.

The radiant entity, an omnipotent being of infinite faces, watched as the seed of life took root within the void, ever expanding like a glorious contagion throughout the void. The celestial trapezohedra siphoned the stuff that is Chaos and transmuted it into the building blocks of the Universe. Order from Chaos. Random yet Deliberate. Thus the radiant entity, who is the Supreme Arbitrator, Apeirogon, fashioned the Universe from the Sea of Chaos. Apeirogon then hibernated for countless millennia afterward, listening for the time when Its creation called upon It and left the cosmos under the charge of Its celestial trapezohedra.

The Universe, its fabric having been sewn with threads of Chaos, was subject to Entropy. This is truth that Apeirogon had designed for the Universe, for this provides balance to creation. Order creates the Universe from the matter of Chaos and Entropy obliterates the Universe returning matter to Chaos. Therefore the Universe is self-sustaining. Consequently, life evolves via the decay of Entropy. From evolution came the species of human and it was humanity’s destiny to awaken Apeirogon.

The Awakening

The Apeirogon, Supreme Arbitrator, listened to the cosmos while It slumbered until It heard the voice of humanity. Humanity was hungry for knowledge and had evolved into self-aware beings, much like Apeirogon. Though limited in power, Apeirogon gifted people with the fires of imagination, so they may analyze, wonder, and create. Thus humanity conquered their world through the industrious cycle of curiosity, experimentation, and fabrication.

Unfortunately, humanity has unraveled much of the mysteries of the universe, leaving us with a starving imagination that still craves the wonder and mystery of days yore. But Apeirogon left us with one more creative outlet, storytelling. The craft of story is the final and most crucial skill that humanity has learned. Those individuals whose flame of creativity has been extinguished are merely empty shells. The soul thrives on the vibrant fires of creativity and the more intense these fires burn, the more likely the soul is to flourish. Mortals whose fire of imagination still burns are called the Awakened.

The Church of the Radiant Polyhedron has a duty to stoke the fire of imagination and promote creativity in its congregation. In order to fulfil this commitment, several rituals have been ordained to practice the skill of craft to awaken those whose imaginations slumber and to keep the Awakened’s imaginations well fueled.. The ceremonial tool of choice is the roleplaying game, as the tenets and philosophies governing the design and play of these games are inspired by the Supreme Arbitrator itself, Apeirogon.